The present invention relates to a process for preparing a corrosion-resistant trivalent chromium phosphated chemical conversion coating for corrosion protection of structural alloys preferably aluminum and aircraft aluminum alloys, and other metals viz. iron/steel, zinc or galvanized steel etc. Other different applications of this coating also include as a seal-coating on anodized aluminum and a coating for improved durability of adhesively bonded aluminum structures.
Conversion coatings have been widely used in metal surface treatment for improved corrosion inhibition and improved adhesion of a subsequently applied paint layer. Conversion coatings are applied through chemical reactions between the metal and the bath solution which converts or modifies the metal surface into a thin film with required functional properties. Conversion coatings are particularly useful in surface treatment of metals such as a steel, zinc, aluminum and magnesium. In the past, chromate conversion coatings have proven to be the most successful conversion coatings for aluminum and magnesium. However, chromate conversion coatings used in the past generally contained highly toxic hexavalent chromium. The use of hexavalent chromium results in potential hazardous working conditions for process operators and very high costs for waste disposal.
In order to overcome the problems associated with hexavalent chromium containing conversion coatings, there has been an effort to employ trivalent chromium conversion coatings which are far more acceptable from an environmental standpoint. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,171,231, 5,304,257 and 5,374,347 disclose trivalent chromium solutions for use in forming conversion coatings on metals. The corrosion protection provided by trivalent chromium coatings developed or described in these patents has been basically due to conversion of trivalent chromium to hexavelant chromium either by adding oxidizing agent in the coating bath solution or by post-treatment of the developed conversion coating by an oxidizing agent or by adding corrosion inhibitive species into the coating bath solution. In other words, one drawback of these trivalent chromium processes is that the corrosion protection is not as effective as hexavelent chromium process and whatever corrosion protection is provided is basically due to oxidation of trivalent chromium to hexavalent chromium either in the coating or coating bath solution. However, in the present process described in this invention, the improved corrosion protection is provided due to the adsorption of phosphonate groups of long chain functionalized organic amino-phosphonic acid compounds to aluminum oxide surface to form Al—O—P covalent bond and subsequent formation of network of hydrophobic layer over all active corrosion sites. A further drawback of these trivalent chromium processes and acidic aqueous solutions is the formation of chromium containing precipitate in the processing bath solution over time. The precipitation results in material loss in the solution and affects coating quality when the concentrations of key components drop below desired and required levels.
Accordingly, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a trivalent chromium chemical conversion coating with similar corrosion resistance properties as the hexavalent chrome conversion coating and an effective stable coating bath solution, since these organic amino-phosphonic acids are known for their capability to chelate and form complexes with trivalent metal ions viz. Cr+3, Al+3 etc.